SCOR welcomes Dr. Moagabi Ragoasha (South Africa), Dr. Mauro Cirano (Brazil), and Viena Puigcorbé (Spain) as new members of the SCOR Capacity Development Committee as well as Dr. Rebecca Zitoun (Germany) as the Chair of the Capacity Development Committee.
Dr. Rebecca Zitoun is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Marine Mineral Resource Group at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research (GEOMAR). Her research interests are related to the biogeochemistry of trace metals, trace metal speciation, metal-binding ligands, shallow and deep sea hydrothermal vent chemistry, ecotoxicology, trace metal bioavailability, electrochemical methods, and voltammetry. She is also focused on capacity development in marine science, ocean literacy, and on bridging the science-policy interface.
Dr. Moagabo Ragoasha is a lecturer at the University of Cape Town and a research associate with the Nansen Tutu Center for Marine Environmental Research. She is also involved as a lecturer in the floating University SEAmester, which introduces marine science as an applied and cross-disciplinary field to students from around Southern Africa. Her research interests include ocean and atmospheric modelling of the South African EEZ, the physical connectivity between Agulhas and the Benguela system, and the anthropogenic influences on the coastal environment. Particularly the eco-systemic responses to the intensification, changes, and instabilities of ocean currents (Agulhas and Benguela Currents) surrounding South Africa.
Dr. Mauro Cirano is an Associate Professor working at the Department of Meteorology of the the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). His areas of research include the study of circulation processes in coastal and oceanic regions, both based on the analysis of oceanographic data and through numerical modeling of circulation. He coordinates the longest sustained monitoring program of the Brazil Current as well as the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development Advisory Committee for Oceanography (CNPq CA-OC).
Dr. Viena Puigcorbé is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institut de Ciències del Mar – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICM-CSIC) in Spain. Her research is focused on the use of naturally occurring radionuclides as tracers of particle export in the open ocean. She is also working on microbial ecology, combining radiotracers with molecular biology to better understand the fate of marine organic particles. Viena has participated in several SCOR related activities including the intercomparison program for 234Th and 210Po-210Pb, and five GEOTRACES cruises.
SCOR wishes them a successful engagement, and acknowledges the valuable contributions and dedication of former Chair Claudia Benítez-Nelson (USA) and committee member Vanessa (Brazil) for their outstanding services to the SCOR community for the last years.
More information about SCOR Capacity Development activities here.